Description: I had bought a Galant desk about 6 years ago because it had adjustable legs and I wanted to try a stand-up desk. Unfortunately when i got it put together did I realize that the legs only extended to 38″ (it helps to read the description on the IKEA website before buying). Since I am 6′ tall, having a desk surface that is only 39″ tall would not work, so I set the legs at proper sitting height and forgot about it.

The past year or so I had been reading a ton of articles about the health benefits of standing while working. I looked all over for standing solutions. I found several on IKEA hacks and almost tried the Utby bar table solution. But I liked my current desk so I gave my Galant a second look. The solution I came up with turned out to be incredibly simple (no drilling or structural modification required) and easy to put together.

To get the desk work surface to the recommended 43-44″ all I needed was to create an 7-8″ extension on top of the existing work surface. This was done by elevating another frame – the part that the legs are screwed into and the desktop is mounted on – above the existing one. Eight 8″ hex bolts were inserted through the bottom of the existing frame (in factory drilled holes. A length of PVC pipe surrounding each of the bolt is what supports the top frame and the bolts are tightened down with a nut at the top. Then the tabletop is attached to the top frame normally.

This modification also allowed me to create a “sub desk” on the lower, original frame providing a space for routers, power supplies extra hard drives, etc. this was done simply with two lengths of lumber cut to the same length and width of the frame. (Home Depot allows for 2 free cuts on lumber, so you could probably just buy 1 8′ sheet of wood and have them rip it to size to allow for a sold sub-desk). I just lined up the lumber on the frame and drilled holes for the hex-bolts to pass through.

Another small hack to go with my new desk was the monitor stands. OSHA recommends that the tops of your monitors should be fairly even with your eyeline. So, I needed some fairly tall monitor stands or spring for expensive monitor arms. The simple and cheap solution I found were the Rationell Variera 7.5″ plate holders. I flipped the metal brackets upside-down, making a wider base and set the monitors on top of the wooden part. This brought my monitors up a little over 6.5″ and directly into my eyeline. I was concerned they would be wobbly, but was really surprised at how sturdy they are.

So, for less than 90 bucks, I now have a great stand-up desk. Standing while working has been a blessing. Everything that’s been said about it is true. I’ve added a GelPro Plush anti-fatigue mat which is like standing on air. I find I constantly stand “Captain Morgan” style, resting a foot on a small footstool underneath the desk.

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Jules Yap "I am Jules, the engine behind IKEAHackers and the one who keeps this site up and running. My mission is to capture all the wonderful, inspiring, clever hacks and ideas for our much loved IKEA items".

I thought this was a great approach, since $40+ is way cheaper than the $600+ for a pro standing desk and much better than the “add-a-couple cinder blocks” approach. But, unfortunately, your specs are off. The A-legs for the Galant desk (which can be seen in your pics) only extend to give the desk a max height of 35 3/8″, not 38″. To reach the rec’d height of 43-44″, you’d need 10″ bolts (since 9″ aren’t sold, AFAIK) and size the piping accordingly (8″ if you’re not using the bottom shelf or fitting the piping thru it, less if you are). I also opted to use 3/4″ ENT(?) metal electrical conduit piping because it looks nicer than PVC and you don’t have to paint it or anything.

i’d love to see pics of how yours came together. interesting that our sizes are off. i should go re-measure all my stuff. i do know i’ve over-extended the legs a couple inches past the point marked on the leg & it’s been stable for several months so far.

Thank you so much for posting this. Personally, I like the look of this a lot. That upside down plate holder is wonderful! Very creative and it looks really cool! In addition, I appreciate your detailed instructions and list of the parts and cost. This is a fabulous post. Thank you!

I like the use of 8″ hex bolts with lengths of PVC pipe ideaand the flip of the Variera plate holders. And I like that he solved his problem without throwing a perfectly good desk away. Why do his wires bother you Anonymous Apr 5, 2012 12:21 PM?

i wouldnt really consider this a hack. Looks more like you just bought an extra piece of the same desk and added it on top. Plus the wood for the bottom desk isnt finished or sanded or stained. I would give this more credit if it was stained the same color as the top table. I would also give more credit if all those unsightly wires were hidden. Good job…i guess.

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